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Regular strength training helps to build strength, muscular endurance and flexibility, reduce body fat, control weight, increase muscle mass, improve appearance, and improve function. Strength training in combination with stretching also helps lower the risk of injury to muscles, ligaments and tendons, and prevents chronic lower back pain. Properly conditioned muscles are essential to carrying out the activities of daily living, and ensure safe performance in sports and aerobic conditioning programs.

This doesn’t mean you have to train like a professional body builder to improve your physical appearance. Just adopt a program that exercises the major muscle groups at a slow or moderate pace, with no explosive or jerky movements. Use these simple guidelines:

• Work out at least two times a week.
• Include six to eight exercises that employ major muscle group.
• Perform one to three sets of at least eight to twelve reps. of each exercise.

In order to achieve the maximum benefits and to train effectively and safely, always observe these principles and techniques:

Warm Up and Cool Down: This cannot be stressed enough. Most workout related injuries can be avoided by proper warm up and cool down. Your muscles need a 5 to 15 minute warm up, as well as a brief cool down. Remember: this holds for non strength training workouts too !

Start at the Appropriate Level: If you begin strength training at too high a level, you risk serious injury. You will also develop poor form, which will hinder your efforts and discourage you. Use this as a guideline: if you cannot lift the weight you’re working with 8 times with proper form, the weight is too heavy. Similarly, don’t choose too light a weight; the last 2 to 3 repetitions of your set should be difficult.

Proper Technique: To get the most out of strength training and to reduce the chance of injury, use proper lifting techniques. These include working your muscles through their full range of motion (but not locking any joints), lifting at a speed which you can control the weight and easily stop if
necessary, and maintaining good posture.

Exercise large Muscles First: You should work your large muscle groups first – your legs, chest and back – before you exercise your biceps, triceps and smaller muscle groups. Consider your body a big chain. Work whole sections of the chain before focusing on individual links.

Progress Gradually: Increase reps before increasing resistance. Reduce rest interval between sets to increase work load.

Challenge Your Muscles: All strength training should progress gradually, using increases in weight until your goals or a plateau are reached. Then, change your workout to include increased reps with a higher weight at the end of each set, alter the order of the exercises you perform, or perform multiple sets, etc. to maintain results or reach new goals.

Give Your Muscles – and Mind – Rest: You’ll get the most out of strength training if you give you muscles at least 48 hours rest between strength training workouts to recover and rebuild.

Risk Should Not Exceed Benefit: If an exercise’s risk of injury exceeds its potential benefit, it is better to err on the conservative side. There are several ways to work specific muscle groups. Choose those that provide minimal risk. Ask your fitness professional for guidance.